Gauri Lankesh case: Karnataka High Court asks for report on 'police torture' of four accused within 10 days

Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court has directed two magistrate courts to submit a report on allegations of custodial torture of four accused in the Gauri Lankesh assassination case, and non-compliance of judicial procedures.

The allegations are "serious in nature", and the Registry of the High Court has been directed to communicate the order to the magistrates of the first and third additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) courts, Justice KN Phaneendra said when the matter came up for hearing on Monday.

A file image of Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh. PTI

"They should submit a report on the allegations within 10 days from the date of receipt of this order," he said.

In an affidavit, advocate NP Amrutesh alleged that Amol Kale, one of the accused in the case, was beaten, slapped, and punched on his cheek by police officers while in custody.

The magistrates also failed to comply with procedures mandated by the Supreme Court regarding people in police custody, he claimed.

The counsel for the accused also alleged that the magistrate did not order a medical examination even after being informed on 14 June about the torture meted out by the police to one of them. "Instead, the magistrate only recorded injury marks on his body," he said.

The counsel also said similar complaints regarding custodial torture of the other accused were also made on 31 May before the magistrate of the third ACMM, which was neglected.

Hence, he requested a court direction to authorities concerned to conduct a medical examination of the accused and a probe into their illegal detention and torture by the police.

He also sought Rs 25 lakh as compensation for each of the accused, besides a direction to the magistrate to record their statements in in-camera proceedings.

On 12 June, the high court had issued notices to the Karnataka government, State police chief, and police officials concerned in the matters.

It had also directed the police to ensure that the accused were not ill-treated.

Gauri Lankesh, a Left-leaning journalist, and a strong Hindutva critic, was shot dead from close range by motorcycle-borne assailants in front of her house on 5 September last year.

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